The Indian army said on Tuesday that 20 of its soldiers were killed in clashes with Chinese troops at a disputed border site, in a major escalation of a weeks-long standoff in the western Himalayas.
Soraya Ali reports.
20 Indian soldiers have been killed fighting with Chinese troops on a disputed border region, according to the Indian army and government sources.
In a statement, the army said that 17 critically injured Indian troops succumbed to their wounds, in addition to an officer and two soldiers who had died earlier.
The incident happened on Monday and the exact circumstances of the killing is not yet clear.
Earlier on Tuesday sources suggested a physical altercation had broken out and no shots were fired At the time the sources said the fight involved batons and throwing rocks.
It's the first casualties in 53 years to result from a clash between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
China blamed India for the clash on Monday and the editor of the government-controlled Global Times said the Chinese military had also suffered casualties, without elaborating.
India and China have been locked in a standoff in the Galwan valley in western Himalayas for weeks with both accusing each other of trespassing into the other's territory.
Talks have been held in recent days to diffuse the situation but no breakthrough has emerged.
The Chinese foreign ministry called on India not to take any unilateral action or stir up trouble.
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